Wednesday, November 21, 2012

I always hated Black Friday. When my kids were young, the thought of
taking them into the crowded stores just to get a good sale never appealed to
me. I always made a point to stay home
all day that day, baking and doing crafts with the kids. Sometimes we would host team sleepovers.

The last few years have seen an appalling development. The hours got so early into the morning that
some stores were opening at midnight.
This meant that many store employees would have to leave their family
dinners early to prepare for the midnight opening. I started to call it Black Thursday.

This year, several major retailers are opening at 10
PM Thursday night, and some even at 8 PM.
This means that Thanksgiving is now ruined not only for employees, but
for the families whose gatherings will end early because someone wants to go
stand in line to get a good sale. “Sorry
Mom, I just have to get to this sale. I
promise to get you a really nice designer pocketbook. Love you, bye.”

The only way for this madness to stop is if the
people don’t go to these sales. Even if
a small percentage stands up for their beliefs with their actions and this does
not impact the stores, what parents decide to do will make an impression on their
children. Do we place a higher value on
family and special traditions, or do we value material things more?